Dear Dad and Mom,
I have so many friends in my Sunbeam Class! My teacher is my friend and so are all my classmates. Friends can be little like me or big like you! Jesus is my friend too! We learned a song about Jesus being our friend. Will you practice it with me? “Jesus Is Our Loving Friend” (Children’s Songbook, p. 58).
Jesus is our loving friend.
He is always near.
He will guide us when we pray;
Every child is dear.
My teacher told us a story about a man named Lazarus. He was Jesus’ friend and when Jesus was in their town, Bethany, he would stay at Lazarus and his sisters’ home and have dinner with them. Once while Jesus was teaching on the other side of the River Jordan, Martha and Mary sent word to Him that Lazarus was very sick. Jesus waited two days, however, before going to Bethany. By the time He arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Jesus was shown the small cave where Lazarus was buried. A stone covered its entrance. As the stone was removed, Jesus raised His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. “And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the many people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.” Then, in a loud voice, He commanded, “Lazarus, come forth.” When Lazarus came out of the tomb, he was still wearing his burial clothes, but he was very much alive. Martha and Mary and their friends rejoiced greatly. (John 11: 1-7, 17- 44)
When I am being a good friend, I help others do good things. I care about my friends and want them to be happy. I like it when my friends are kind to me. I know that they like it when I am kind to them too. I know if I want to have friends then I must be a good friend too. Our class talked about how we could be a good friend in different situations. Can you help me practice how I would be a good friend if:
• I am playing with a friend and another child comes and wants to play with me.
• A new child comes to class for the first time and feels shy or afraid.
• A child has been teased and feels bad.
When I let another person play with me, or when I give some of what I have to someone else, I am sharing. Sometimes I can’t divide up what I have, so I take turns with it. This is also sharing. In the Bible (John 6: 1-13) it tells about a time when Jesus was teaching five thousand people. They were far away from any town and the people were very hungry. A young boy had some bread and fishes and shared the food he had even though he knew it wasn’t enough to feed all the people. Jesus was able to use his power to make enough food to feed all the people.
I also remember how the widow of Zarephath was blessed because she shared her food with the prophet Elijah even though she didn’t have very much food to share. Can you help me think of what I can share with my friends and family?
I know it is important to be a good friend. Heavenly Father and Jesus are our friends and they love us. Please help me to be kind to my friends this week.
Love,
Your Sunbeam